More than 900,000 people travelled between Malta and Gozo in 2021’s second quarter

Jul 19 2021

A total of 907,453 passengers travelled between Malta and Gozo in 2021’s second quarter. The biggest amount of travellers was noted in June, with a total of 383,386 passengers, which is equivalent to 42.2% of this time period. This is a 56.1% increase when compared with the same time period of last year. The number of vehicles also saw a 45% increase when compared to the same time period last year as it amounted to 409,569 total vehicles.

The advent of the pandemic possibly contributed to this as travelling to other countries was limited drastically, prompting Maltese to visit our sister island or vice versa. The total amount of voyages in this second quarter racked at 7,255, which indicates a 36% increase when compared to the same time period last year. June also saw the largest amount of voyages at 2,717, which is equivalent to 37.5%. Fridays and Saturdays generated the most traffic for Cirkewwa between January and June. For Mgarr’s terminal, Sunday and Monday registered the highest amount of traffic.

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Photo Source: gozochannel.com

Corinthia Oasis plan proposes new five-star hotel in Ghajn Tuffieha

Jul 19 2021

Plans to build a low-lying tourist and residential complex on the site occupied by the disused Hal Ferh Holiday Complex has been submitted by Corinthia Hotels. Branded as Corinthia Oasis, the development will see the construction of a 5-star hotel with around 162 rooms and 25 hotel-serviced residences. With residences rising to around two storeys, the area was re-zoned last year to give the company room to include residences in the blueprints.

The company presented photomontages of the proposed development, which were designed by Martin Xuereb. Corinthia also stated that a world class product will be delivered, which aims at setting a new benchmark for the island. The design will pay tribute to traditional Maltese architecture but with a contemporary twist. The company also stated that upon completion, the project will create over 200 full-time jobs along with a project which is sustainable and environmentally sensitive.

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Photo Source: Corinthia

Man has finger bitten off in parking lot fight

Jul 19 2021

A fight between two St Paul’s Bay residents over a parking lot ended up with one of the persons losing a finger and the other being taken to court. Possibly caused due to a language misunderstanding, the incident happened on Sunday afternoon at around 3pm.

The conflict involved a 39-year-old Serbian cab driver and a 59-year-old Maltese man. The situation escalated when one man insisted on reserving a free parking space for a tow truck expected to arrive. The Serbian man allegedly bit off the other man’s finger during the chaos.

Police were called to intervene, with the Maltese man certified as having suffered grievous injuries. The Serbian man was taken into police custody. He plead not guilty to injuring the other man and for breaching public peace. The man had allegedly been an outstanding citizen for the past 11 years in Malta.

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Photo Source: Kamra tal-Periti

PN MP Kevin Cutajar faces backlash following post relating to attack on Somali man

Jul 19 2021

Gozitan PN MP Kevin Cutajar faced heaps of backlash after he posted to Facebook an ‘excusatory’ post in relation to the attack on the Somali man currently being investigated. Cutajar opened his statement by stating that he does not agree with such acts, but then goes on to state that the rapid mixing of cultures is what led to such acts. He stated how Gozo was not ready for such levels of multiculturalism, thus prompting such an attack.

Following a social media uproar, the post was removed by the MP, only to be followed by a post excusing and clearing the air. He stated that his initial post was misinterpreted and he wanted to state that there is a lack of social inclusion. He added that despite believing that inclusion could have been done better and with more planning, this does not mean the battle towards more inclusion is lost. At least one man will be charged with the attack, police confirmed on Monday.

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Photo Source: Kevin Cutajar FB